Big Time Safaris
- Located In:
- Size:
- 5-10 employees (Founded in 2006)
- Tour Types:
- Small & medium group tours (Budget & mid-range)
- Destinations:
- Price Range:
- $100 to $450 per person per day (USD, excl. int'l flights)
Reviews
IT
Email Chiara | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Affordable and reliable Safari tour
I and my boyfriend did the 7 days Safari tour in December 2019 and we are really happy with the experience. It was our first Safari.
We saw a lot of different animals and environments, doing several interesting extra activities (we suggest mountain biking in Hell's Gate, boat tour in Nakuru and The Masai Village visit). Our driver/guide Jeff was exceptional: he was friendly and helpful, with long-standing experience. Please note that some accommodations/meals in the budget safari (the one we chose) are quite basic and sometimes a bit wild (like the tented camp in Amboseli)... but of course, that's part of the adventure ;)
Also, it was positive to us the fact that communications with Big Time Safari Ltd, before our arrival in Kenya, were constant and clear: Martha has been very patient in answering all our questions, satisfying our requests (like the presence of vegetarian meals) and evaluating with us different Safari tour options.
Email Eli | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great experience but you can probably get better value for money
I went with a friend to a 4-day budget safari which included 3 visits at Masai Mara reserve and one at Lake Nakuru. The price included pick up and drop off from the airport to the hotel and from the hotel to the safari and back to the hotel and to the airport, which was great. The car was a bit run down and we were sharing with 4 other people. At Masai Mara we stayed in pre-pitched tents with private toilet/shower at Miti Mingi Eco Camp, which was okay but there were no hot showers as advertised; we had an issue with rain in our tent and we were promptly changed to another one. At Nakuru we stayed in at City Max hotel, which was quite in the middle of nowhere and the wifi signal did not reach the rooms, but it did the job. Our driver Richard was very knowledgeable and could virtually answer every single question we asked him. He found all the animals almost on the first day and we ended up seeing everything we wanted to see. Unfortunately, the weather was not with us so on the 3rd day, the driver suggested to skip the 3rd visit at Masai Mara and stop at Lake Naivasha to do an activity at an extra cost, which we refused to but agreed to stop there for a walk; however, when we got there he advised that the weather was not good enough and we drove straight into the hotel without actually doing anything at all, other than driving, which was a bit of a waste of a day; a back-up plan would have been appreciated. My friend and I finished our safari earlier than some other people in our group and were put in a different car to go back to Nairobi. There, we learnt that the people from that other car had paid less for the same type safari (with a different operator), done more things (the activity at Lake Naivasha that was offered at extra cost was offered for free to them) and had a much better car so it annoyed us a bit but that's life.
In short, I had a great time in this safari and I saw all the animals I wanted to which was amazing but if I were to do another safari I would probably do a bit more of research and negotiate the price better.
IN
Email Karthik | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good service and great value for money!
When i was doing my initial search for a safari operator it wasn't easy to zero in on one. After researching quite a bit on the internet I decided to go with Big Time for my 12 day safari in Kenya and Tanzania. My contact person Martha was amazingly responsive to all my queries/suggestions/changes in plans etc... She accommodated all my requests to ensure I got what I asked for. Though there was a problem with too many people in the group at one time (9 in the vehicle for our game drive at Lake Nakuru), it was handled reasonably well to ensure the safari went on well from there on. Here is my take on safaris with Big Time.
The Good:
- Very efficient and customer focused team at Nairobi.
- One could trust them to ensure all logistics are taken care of - right from the moment I landed, to transfers of all kinds, right till I was dropped at the airport, all I had to do was text/call Martha and she would have something arranged for me. Very efficient and makes things simple for a newbie in Africa.
- The price is very competitive. There are very few operators who offer safaris at this price. Though it's imperative that this is a 'budget' safari and you get more than what you pay for.
- Animal sightings - well, this shouldn't be a problem if you are in the right place at right time. There was no dearth of animals at Masai Mara at this time of the year and the drives were just awesome.
The Bad:
- The safari vehicles weren't the best of conditions.
- The drivers (all the 3 i dealt with) weren't interested in spending much time in the parks. Despite the whole of our group insisting that we wanted to continue with the game drive, our driver at Amboseli was adamant about getting back to the camp a good 1.5 hrs before the park closing time.
- My plan in Tanzania was altered so that I could be accommodated as a part of a group (a day in Serengeti was replaced by a day in Tarangire). Though I was indifferent to the change, I would have preferred being consulted before deciding what I should be doing than telling me what I would be doing!
Tips:
- Ask as many questions as possible before you agree on your safari - how many days? what time do you start and spend at every park? how many people in the van? is water included? will the vehicle be in good condition? It's good to have these things in writing before you embark on your safari with any operator.
- On your day one, before you start on your safari it is a good idea to sit with the driver and your contact person at the office to confirm all that was agreed on in your communications, so as to ensure everyone is on the same platform.
- Keep in touch with your contact person when on safari (if you happen to have local phone number or whenever there if Wi-Fi access). This could help the office handle any problems that could pop up.
- And, enjoy your days in the wild... At the end of the day, that's what we take all this fuss for! :)
All said and done, if i were to go on a safari again, I know who to get in touch with!
AR
Email Sebastian | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Great Experience!
Me and a friend were looking for a budget Safari starting from Arusha. The alternatives were a lot, and is really imposible to do a good choice with all the guys taking you to diferent offices to tell you the same speach, but we ended up picking the one we felt more faithfull.
We were really lucky, the couple Driver/Cook was supreme (Godfrey and Alifa). They were young, funny, helpfull and really profesional guys, and I think that there lies most of the quality of a Safari. If I could do it again I'd maybe avoid some of the smallest parks to spend 1 or 2 days more at Serengetti.
I'll surely recomend the company to my friends.
OM
Email Jenitha | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Reliable, Well-Planned, Good Service
We travelled to Kenya with family (4 Adults & 2 Children). Thanking Martha for making the experience a good one. She was quick with her responses, provided all the necessary information we required and quite helpful. It was a great trip and within budget. I would highly recommend this company and Martha as a point of contact. The only minor issue we had was with our guide in Masai, he wasn't very interactive but he did a good job on the safari, took us to the right places, made sure we had the best view possible and we saw the Big 4 (we just missed the Rhino).
SA
Email Aju | 20-35 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Good and professional
Very good and fast response with us our tour organiser mrs Martha she is doing her best
IN
Email Prashant | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: first safari
Quite reliable Punctual, Stay as per the program sent by Martha. Guide Joseph was very enthusiastic
Communication was prompt and Martha was always available for telecom. Last day we could have gone for half day Safari as per the program. Food at all the lodges except A A Lodge Ambosali was good. Sopa Lodge at Naivasha was the Best. A A Lodge Masai mara was good.
Email Fazal Mohamed | 50-65 years of age | Experience level: 2-5 safaris
Safari visits, transportation etc were very good, but camp facilities were very below average
We were a group of 8 family members. The Planning Phase of the tour was good with proper communication from the team . The Safari rates were reasonable. The Airport pick up and the transport arrangement from Nairobi to Massaimara was very well coordinated. The game drives were also very well coordinated and we got opportunities to see many animals. Driver took special interest to take us all around.
However, the condition of the accommodation provided in the Camp in Massaimara was very primitive. Though the camp is well laid out, it was very over crowded and the staff found it extremely difficult to serve food properly. The individual tents were very poorly maintained, especially the 4 tents we got. The furniture including the cot was in bad shape, the bathrooms were not clean, flush was getting blocked, there was a bad stench during night in that part of the camp. All these were reported to the notice of Mr. Joseph in the camp who apparently was in charge of accommodation. He managed to change the cot but nothing more could be done though we requested for a change of tent that was not possible due to the large number of guests in the camp.
I personally feel a lot could be improved in the tents like, clean toilets and drainage, a mirror in the bathrooms, functional water taps, some toiletries like soap shampoo etc. There is definitely a need to check the condition of cots in each of the tents.
It will be Wonderful if a small cultural show by the local folks are organized every evening near the camp fire area. That can make the evenings lively and memorable. There is also a need to improve the food quality. All these may be facilitated to the customers even if it is at the cost of 10 or 20 USD more on package cost. These small deficiencies negatively impacted the overall experience which otherwise was a wonderful Safari at a moderate price.
IN
Email Amit | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
they delivered what they promised
I went to Kenya in September 2015 and booked a day tour of Nairobi with Big time. The driver and services were excellent and thus I booked a 4day Masai Mara plus Lake Nakuru tour with BigTime and I am glad that I made that choice. Martha in particular is very helpful lady . She attended to all my queries very patiently and gave me the best advice to choose among the various tour options. I was not having any local SIM card till we started the journey and I was looking to buy one. Manager John , ever energetic, instructed driver to help me get a local SIM card enroute and with the help of one local guy I could get that within the luch break itself. You can always make a call from the environs of Masai Mara as its a open grassland and signal coverage is pretty good (I wonder whether anybody has studied the negative fallouts of this heavy signal coverage on the wildlife of the park) .... I had chosen camp stay so the services in the camp were basic.. You just get one bulb in bathroom and one more in another partition of the camp used as space for two beds... Electricity was available for just three hours in evening ...from 7to 10pm. then lights would be switched off as the generator would be shut down. One can recharge his camera /mobile at a common dining space .. no TV (except at a place near common dining place) no radio, free Wifi which would work intermittently. Definitely that is not for luxury... but then I had not gone there for luxury. The chef tried his best to accomodate my vegeterain eating preferences. The place was very quiet in early evening...and when the lights were out it was really very interesting to feel like 1950s, something our generation missed completely. Safari itself was very good. We saw all the big 5 plus my darling-Cheetah (twice). We were lucky to see pride of lions crackling the bones of a fresh buffalo kill in early morning safari and then in evening we saw two male lions stalking a baby giraffe, their plans foiled by the head of giraffe family who came very close to two lions threatening them with dire consequences in case of any misadventure. There was only one nuisance... driver chatting ceaselessly on microphone with his fellow drivers. Sometimes it was for good as they gave each other directions of wildlife spotting, but certainly the chatting could have been bit lesser for same effect otherwise he was a braveheart ,taking his vehicle very near to the animal . Dont expect perfect peaceful watching of wildlife as shown on Discovery /NGC as drivers' microphones make noises continuously. Though it was a budget Safari , Stay in Nakuru was very comfortable, a pleasant surprise for all of us travelling together. Overall it was a nice experience with BigTime Safari. Special thanks to Martha and John.
NP
Email MADAN THAPA KSHETRI | 35-50 years of age | Experience level: first safari
amazing, best out put
iIt was the excellent experience in my life to visit MASAI MARA. Management of BIGTIME SAFAI was well. Thank you all who were attending for making our travel much more adventurous. Specially DAVID, TR GD STLIN, N NJERI.